During the WN iGaming Summit’24, a presentation was held by the Director of Business Development for Google Ads in Europe, Iordanis Papadopoulos. He shared current information on the service's policy regarding iGaming resources and gambling-related content.
According to Papadopoulos, the main misconception among companies is that Google excludes any online gambling advertisement. In reality, it is permissible in many countries, but with certain restrictions. Therefore, before budgeting and developing a marketing strategy, the top manager advises operators to double-check whether they comply with the core Google Ads rules:
- ensure that gambling-themed promotional materials are generally allowed on the target market by Google. Even if online gambling is legalized in a jurisdiction, this does not guarantee that the advertising provisions will be the same;
- if there are no issues with the first point, then it's worth studying the local legal requirements. Generally, a local license from the regulator is needed to conduct an advertising campaign, as well as to carry out gambling activities;
- Google works with transparent organizations, so after confirming legal compliance, they must undergo an account certification process and provide the requested data.
It's important to remember: certification for one market doesn't grant the right to run campaigns in other regions.
Suppose an operator has been cleared for the UK, and then, without thoroughly examining Google Ads policies, decides to set up promotions in Brazil. They assume that since the country has only recently moved towards market regulation, laws are still not perfect and hardly different from European ones. Plus, the UK is one of the compliance benchmarks. Papadopoulos points out that this is a key mistake for newcomers. Most likely, their ads in Brazil will be rejected during moderation or, in the worst case, the account could be blocked.
Some additional basic aspects that advertisers frequently overlook: creatives should only be shown to adults, and landing pages must contain necessary warnings. This includes information about potential gambling risks—such as the likelihood of losing stakes, the danger of gambling addiction without self-control, and contact details for organizations that assist people with gambling problems.
Full List of Countries Where Online Gambling Advertising is Allowed on Google Ads
For easier understanding, Papadopoulos categorized the markets by region—Europe, Latin America, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region—and by players—operators and aggregators.
Here are his comments.
- This list is current as of the end of 2024. It is continuously updated, so it's essential to monitor the data periodically. For instance, Greece has recently become available for affiliates.
- The list does not include such reputable jurisdictions as Malta, Cyprus, or Curaçao. Therefore, setting up promotions through Google Ads is impossible in these countries. Moreover, the corporation, unlike regulators, does not recognize the universality of these licenses. Simply put, one can do business beyond their borders (for example, in Nigeria or India), but advertising is not allowed.
- The presence of a country in the list does not imply that all categories of gambling are legal there. Take France, where casinos are banned. In other instances, only state lotteries or bingo are considered legal. The rationale is clear: Google always sides with the law.
- As for aggregators, the situation is different. They can mostly advertise without a license. However, their partners must be verified operators. For example, in the UK, aggregators must specify the operators they partner with and direct traffic to their sites. Nonetheless, there are exceptions—in France, Romania, and Greece, a license is still required.
Let's talk separately about the US market. Papadopoulos highlighted four categories of products—sports betting, casinos, horse racing, and DFS. The latter is classic fantasy sports with daily tournaments and activities. The top manager emphasized that this looks particularly promising. It is challenging to obtain a DFS license—it is only issued in a few states. However, the undeniable advantage is that with this license, advertising can be conducted in multiple states. For example, this is how the Arizona license operates.
In other respects, America is heavily restricted for Google Ads. Both operators and aggregators cannot do without a license in each specific state and for each segment of gambling entertainment. Additionally, their legal entity must be registered there as well. This also applies to the legislation of Ontario province (Canada).
Targeting iGaming Content
For reference, Google Ads clearly classifies types of permissible content:
- advertising materials (gift certificates, promo codes, bonuses);
- educational materials (eBooks, webinars, podcasts, online courses, specific blog articles);
- software (poker calculators, bankroll management apps, slot trackers);
- information related to gambling forecasts (odds assessments, handicapping, sports predictions);
- aggregator and affiliate websites.
As can be seen, Google Ads doesn't allow campaigns to be modified for custom audiences with manually set parameters. This includes based on interests and habits or users' intentions. In other industries, this is one of the most effective tools for attracting "hot" clients who are already actively looking for the services they need. However, in the case of online gambling, this approach could be perceived as coercion or aggressive marketing, contradicting the service's policies. The nuance is that Google considers gambling to be a sensitive theme. Ads in this category are hidden by default for users.
For the same reason, operators cannot create a category of "similar audiences" to increase conversion. Finally, they do not have access to the remarketing option, which is designed to stimulate a targeted action—such as signing up on a website, activating a bonus, or making a deposit.
Last but not least: restrictions also apply to ad formats. Those prohibited include:
- Gmail-sponsored promotions (i.e., respective blocks in the "Promotions" and "Social" sections);
- shopping ads (e.g., the "Shopping" tab, shopping widgets in search results, Google Images, and Google Maps);
- reserve-based display ads (these are banners that advertisers reserve on specific platforms—YouTube and other Google partner sites—at certain intervals for showings);
- user ratings.